Boys & Girls Clubs get $10,000 grant, donation

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation announced seven new grants to local Boys & Girls Clubs to improve children’s health through the Triple Play program.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada will receive a $10,000 Start-Up grant to implement Triple Play: A Game Plan for the Mind, Body and Soul, a health program sponsored by Coca-Cola and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation. The program’s three components encourage members to eat more healthfully, become more physically active and engage in healthy relationships.

A study of more than 2,000 children ages 9-14 who attend Boys & Girls Clubs showed that Triple Play succeeded in getting them to exercise more, eat more-healthful foods and feel better about themselves, according to a news release. Triple Play kids increased to 90 percent of the federally recommended amount of daily exercise, which is 60 minutes a day for children, while their peers outside the program decreased to 78 percent, the release states.

Recently, Bank of America made a $12,500 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada.

The money will go towards the club’s after-school programs, which are aimed at encouraging academic success in addition to good character and citizenship and healthy lifestyles. The club in Carson City averages nearly 400 school-aged children per day at its facility.

“Their support of our program enables us to serve the kids who need us the most by offering affordable out of school activities that foster lifelong learning,” said Laurie Gorris, chief professional officer at the club. “Without their support, we couldn’t do what we do best, which is ensuring a successful future for the kids in Carson City.”

For more information, go to www.bgca.org/tripleplay.